Coco Raz
3 raspberries, muddled
½ ounce Coco Lopez coconut cream
¼ ounce St Germaine
1 ½ ounce 10 Cane rum
1 ounce pineapple juice
Plus coconut shavings
Mix ingredients in a shaker and strain over
ice with a coconut-shaving rim.
—Shawn Warren; The Downtown, Red Bank
Age Of Enlightenment
2 1/2 ounces hot chamomile tea
1 ounce Grand Marnier
1 ounce Hennessy Black Cognac
1/2 ounce lemon juice
1/2 ounce thyme-infused honey (2 ounces honey, 1 large thyme sprig, 3 ounces hot water)
Build cocktail in small tea pot. Serve in your favorite tea cup with brioche and truffle honey.
—Jonas Koep; The Stone House, Stirling
Tee-Time
1 1/4 ounces Prairie organic gin
1/2 ounce Grand Marnier Peach Raspberry
3/4 ounces *Earl Gray simple syrup
1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
Plus lemon wedges and raspberries
Add to shaker tin, shake well, strain over new ice
Garnish with lemon wedge and fresh raspberries
*(Earl Gray Simple syrup—2 cups sugar in the raw, 3 cups water, 1 box favorite Earl Gray tea: seep tea bags in water 5 minutes, remove and discard bags. Add sugar to tea. Stir until fully mixed. Simmer 5 to 8 minutes or until coats the back of a spoon.)
—Leonard Schafer; The Iron Room, Atlantic City
Balsamic-glazed Pineapple
1 pineapple
4 tablespoons of honey
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Mint leaves
Belvedere
Puréed pineapple with honey
Mix together 5 ounces of pineapple purée and 1 ounce balsamic vinegar muddled with 4 mint leaves and 2 ounces of vodka pour over ice.
—Rob Sorenson, Lefty’s Tavern, Barnegat
Rick Ross (Cedar-smoked Spicy Betsy Ross)
1 1/2 ounces Hennesey black
10 ounces Zinfandel Port
1/2 ounces Grand Marnier
2 Dashes aromatic bitters
Light a piece of cedar wood on fire
Once the flame is out, place the mouth of a brandy snifter over the burnt part so the smoke fills the glass
Separately, mix the ingredients over ice and stir allowing about 3/4 ounces of water to blend into the cocktail. Flip the snifter off the wood and pour the drink on top of the smoke. Garnish the snifter with a sweet and smoky jerky.
—Matt Brown; Pig & Prince, Montclair
Red Rover
3/4 ounces Belvedere Unfiltered
3/4 ounces Prairie Organic Gin
3/4 ounces smoked grapefruit juice*
1/4 ounces lemon juice
1/2 ounces strawberry-basil syrup**
Combine all ingredients in a mixing tin and shake with ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a strawberry and grapefruit peel.
*To make the smoked grapefruit juice, slice grapefruits in half. Turn on smoker (or grill). In a small pan add apple wood chips, some rum, and Angostura bitters. Place wood chip pan on lower level of grill and grapefruits (peel side down) on the upper section. Close grill and let smoke for 45 minutes to an hour. Grapefruits are done when the fruit is close to bursting. 6) Allow grapefruits to cool. Squeeze and strain out pulp. Juice will stay fresh for about 3 days.
**To make strawberry-basil syrup combine 1 pound strawberries (hulled and quartered), 1/2 cup fresh basil, 2 cups of sugar, and 1 cup of water in a pot. Cook over medium heat, bring to a boil, then simmer for about 20 minutes. Let mixture cool to room temperature. Strain out solids, pour into a resealable container, and refrigerate. The syrup will last about 10 days.
—Stephen Fette; Fiddler’s Elbow Country Club, Bedminster
Farm To Table
1½ ounces Centinela Reposado Tequila
2 ounces carrot juice
½ teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1 teaspoon agave nectar
½ ounce fresh lime juice
Sweet-pea foam, cucumber, cracked black pepper, and micro greens for garnish
Combine ingredients over ice and shake well. To prepare the foam: combine 1 tablespoon sweet pea purée with 1¼ cups filtered water, 1 ounce soy lecithin, pinch of salt, 2 tablespoons of sugar. Blend until incorporated. Whip the surface of the liquid to create stable foam. Serve the cocktail strained onto fresh ice. Garnish with a ribbon of cucumber, a topping of foam, black pepper, and micro greens.
—John Jansma; Restaurant Serenade, Chatham